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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
This is book 12 in The Daughters of the Mayflower series from Barbour Publishing. It is a multi-author series and this is the third book by Kathleen Y’Barbo in the series. She is a tenth-generation Texan and writes Texas fiction. I think this is my favorite book of her’s so far. I absolutely loved the story of Eliza Gentry. Eliza grew up on a ranch in Texas. She was an independent spirited girl and loved going on the Chisholm Trail cattle drives with her father. Her favorite part was lying in bed at night and studying the stars.
Once Eliza became an adult she became betrothed, against her parent’s wishes, to the son of a judge. The son, Ben Barnhart, was a boy that Eliza had grown up with. He was a hot tempered pushy man who thought he was above the law because of his family. He was seeking a career as a politician and was working his way up the ladder to run for the governor of Texas. There was a rift between the Gentry and Barnhart families because of something that happened in Eliza and Ben’s childhood. Eliza’s father did not trust Ben so he hired a detective and protector for Eliza named John Brady to shadow her and keep Ben away from her. It would prove to be more of a challenge than anyone could have imagined.
Once Eliza became an adult she became betrothed, against her parent’s wishes, to the son of a judge. The son, Ben Barnhart, was a boy that Eliza had grown up with. He was a hot tempered pushy man who thought he was above the law because of his family. He was seeking a career as a politician and was working his way up the ladder to run for the governor of Texas. There was a rift between the Gentry and Barnhart families because of something that happened in Eliza and Ben’s childhood. Eliza’s father did not trust Ben so he hired a detective and protector for Eliza named John Brady to shadow her and keep Ben away from her. It would prove to be more of a challenge than anyone could have imagined.
The Chisholm Trail Bride is part of a 12 book series, The Daughter’s of the Mayflower. This can be read as a stand alone book. I have read and loved two of the other books in the series, but I just couldn’t get in to this one. I really wanted to love this, being out west and the time period. Unfortunately, the writing and plot fell flat for me. This will be my first dnf for the year.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc!
Thank you NetGalley for the arc!
I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Chisolm Trail Bride is the twelfth (and last?) in the Daughters of the Mayflower series, and the second I’ve read. And while I liked the previous book, this one felt more underwhelming, and it could be down to the fact that I gel with this author’s style less, although it is hard to make that call with just the one book.
One thing I did really enjoy is the Y’Barbo’s way of recreating the setting. Given she lives in Texas, I love that she’s introducing her home state to readers who live across the country (maybe even the world?) and educating them about its places and history.
A lot is great in theory. the central conflict of father and daughter over her disobedience works. And the relationship between childhood friends Eliza and Wyatt is nice. I don’t find it particularly memorable, but it was a sweet relationship, and there’s decent stakes.
But even though there was a great setup, I didn’t feel like it went anywhere interesting, especially with an attempt to add suspense to the narrative that wasn’t suspenseful and relied mostly on convenience.
This one was mostly not for me, but I do see why it would appeal to people more withbin the target demographic of more devoted Christian Fiction readers. If you love that genre and have an interest in Texas, I think this book may be right up your alley.
The Chisolm Trail Bride is the twelfth (and last?) in the Daughters of the Mayflower series, and the second I’ve read. And while I liked the previous book, this one felt more underwhelming, and it could be down to the fact that I gel with this author’s style less, although it is hard to make that call with just the one book.
One thing I did really enjoy is the Y’Barbo’s way of recreating the setting. Given she lives in Texas, I love that she’s introducing her home state to readers who live across the country (maybe even the world?) and educating them about its places and history.
A lot is great in theory. the central conflict of father and daughter over her disobedience works. And the relationship between childhood friends Eliza and Wyatt is nice. I don’t find it particularly memorable, but it was a sweet relationship, and there’s decent stakes.
But even though there was a great setup, I didn’t feel like it went anywhere interesting, especially with an attempt to add suspense to the narrative that wasn’t suspenseful and relied mostly on convenience.
This one was mostly not for me, but I do see why it would appeal to people more withbin the target demographic of more devoted Christian Fiction readers. If you love that genre and have an interest in Texas, I think this book may be right up your alley.
Thanks to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for an ARC of this book! Release date - April 1, 2020
And now for another installment in the never-ending series!
I actually quite like [a: Kathleen Y'Barbo|153441|Kathleen Y'Barbo|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1510439028p2/153441.jpg]'s writing. It was her book [b: The Pirate Bride|3630054|The Pirate Bride|Shannon Drake|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1304295797l/3630054._SY75_.jpg|3672877] that first got me roped into this series, so in a way I blame her (kidding, kinda), so it's a good thing that I've mostly enjoyed her books. While I did like [b: The Pirate Bride|3630054|The Pirate Bride|Shannon Drake|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1304295797l/3630054._SY75_.jpg|3672877] more, I liked this one better than [b: The Alamo Bride|43272430|The Alamo Bride, SAMPLE|Kathleen Y'Barbo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1545225934l/43272430._SY75_.jpg|67157537]. I also like that the characters in all the books she writes are descendants of previous books, while also being able to be standalones.
I think there were moments of this book that were 4 star worthy, and I felt like it was a good story and I enjoyed it. But overall I think it was mostly just ok. Several plot developments were entirely too convenient to be realistic, especially the resolution to the main problem, which was very abrupt and anticlimactic despite being a huge part of the storyline the entire book. It kinda just disappears in the background.
That being said, I did like the overall romance and the reasons the two characters were kept apart. I liked seeing them as children and then jumping ahead about 10 years and seeing those comparisons. I also really liked the way it ended.
If I have one more small complaint it's that other books in this series have been based during a major historical event, the Revolutionary War, the Battle of the Alamo, the Civil War, or the Children's Blizzard, to name a few. This just kinda took place around the time that people were traveling on the Chisholm Trail, and the actual trail itself played a very small part in the story. I guess I just felt like it deviated from the typical pattern and would have liked a little more historical context.
That being said, I definitely liked this one more than previous installments in the series, and I'm curious to see the next one NetGalley will inevitably deliver to me in the next few months.
And now for another installment in the never-ending series!
I actually quite like [a: Kathleen Y'Barbo|153441|Kathleen Y'Barbo|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1510439028p2/153441.jpg]'s writing. It was her book [b: The Pirate Bride|3630054|The Pirate Bride|Shannon Drake|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1304295797l/3630054._SY75_.jpg|3672877] that first got me roped into this series, so in a way I blame her (kidding, kinda), so it's a good thing that I've mostly enjoyed her books. While I did like [b: The Pirate Bride|3630054|The Pirate Bride|Shannon Drake|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1304295797l/3630054._SY75_.jpg|3672877] more, I liked this one better than [b: The Alamo Bride|43272430|The Alamo Bride, SAMPLE|Kathleen Y'Barbo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1545225934l/43272430._SY75_.jpg|67157537]. I also like that the characters in all the books she writes are descendants of previous books, while also being able to be standalones.
I think there were moments of this book that were 4 star worthy, and I felt like it was a good story and I enjoyed it. But overall I think it was mostly just ok. Several plot developments were entirely too convenient to be realistic, especially the resolution to the main problem, which was very abrupt and anticlimactic despite being a huge part of the storyline the entire book. It kinda just disappears in the background.
That being said, I did like the overall romance and the reasons the two characters were kept apart. I liked seeing them as children and then jumping ahead about 10 years and seeing those comparisons. I also really liked the way it ended.
If I have one more small complaint it's that other books in this series have been based during a major historical event, the Revolutionary War, the Battle of the Alamo, the Civil War, or the Children's Blizzard, to name a few. This just kinda took place around the time that people were traveling on the Chisholm Trail, and the actual trail itself played a very small part in the story. I guess I just felt like it deviated from the typical pattern and would have liked a little more historical context.
That being said, I definitely liked this one more than previous installments in the series, and I'm curious to see the next one NetGalley will inevitably deliver to me in the next few months.
The Chisholm Trail Bride by Kathleen Y’Barbo is a seriously fun read. I started it Saturday night and by 1:00 AM Sunday morning I had 80% of the book completed. I just could not put this book down! I enjoyed the historical details and learned quite a bit, but I LOVED the fictional details the most! This story is more an experience than a simple good read. Simply put, I was transported to Texas and New Orleans of 1889. When the characters were on the Chisholm Trail, I could feel the dust in the air, smell the cattle moving across the range, and hear the cowboys at night as they relaxed around the campfire while Eliza laid out under the stars dreaming of one day becoming an astronomer. And, when Eliza was in New Orleans, I was right there with her at the masquerade ball. I could hear the swish of the elegant ballgowns as women danced the night away with handsome masked men, and feel the claustrophobia as bodies upon bodies pressed into the glamorous dance hall. It was fun to feel like part of the story!
The characters in this story are the best. Eliza is a hoot! She is feisty and sassy, and when she verbally spars with someone — watch out! I very much enjoyed the fact that Eliza doesn’t let anyone control her, but she isn’t above listening to reason. She sticks to her guns when she is in the right, but isn’t afraid to concede when someone else has the better/safer/smarter idea. Eliza’s cousin, Justine, is one of the cutest fictional little girls ever, and she is hilarious. The chapters she is in are some of the best. And, Wyatt Creed is awesome. He’s loyal, noble, and self-sacrificing. He’s also incredibly smart and strong. And, he’s definitely swoon-worthy! I recommend reading this novel for Wyatt alone. LOL!
The Chisholm Trail Bride is a highly engaging, fast-paced Western Romance. I highly recommend this novel. If you are a fan of well-written, well-researched Westerns with sweet romance, adventure, and timely themes then The Chisholm Trail Bride by Kathleen Y’Barbo is the book for you!
I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the publisher, Barbour Books, via NetGalley. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
The characters in this story are the best. Eliza is a hoot! She is feisty and sassy, and when she verbally spars with someone — watch out! I very much enjoyed the fact that Eliza doesn’t let anyone control her, but she isn’t above listening to reason. She sticks to her guns when she is in the right, but isn’t afraid to concede when someone else has the better/safer/smarter idea. Eliza’s cousin, Justine, is one of the cutest fictional little girls ever, and she is hilarious. The chapters she is in are some of the best. And, Wyatt Creed is awesome. He’s loyal, noble, and self-sacrificing. He’s also incredibly smart and strong. And, he’s definitely swoon-worthy! I recommend reading this novel for Wyatt alone. LOL!
The Chisholm Trail Bride is a highly engaging, fast-paced Western Romance. I highly recommend this novel. If you are a fan of well-written, well-researched Westerns with sweet romance, adventure, and timely themes then The Chisholm Trail Bride by Kathleen Y’Barbo is the book for you!
I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the publisher, Barbour Books, via NetGalley. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.